MSU shooting suspect Anthony McRae previously pleaded guilty to gun-related charge

The man police say shot and killed three Michigan State University students while wounding five others Monday was arrested in 2019 on a gun-related charge in Lansing, according to court and Michigan Department of Corrections records.

Originally charged with a felony, a conviction would have prevented McRae from legally owning a gun in the future. But he agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, a charge that did not bar his ability to buy a firearm after he successfully completed probation.

Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, is accused of carrying out the mass shooting at the East Lansing campus, according to MSU police. McRae killed himself on a Lansing street after the shootings before he could be arrested, police said. MSU police confirmed recovering a weapon, but did not provide details Tuesday morning about that firearm.

Michigan State University Interim Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman said Tuesday, "we have absolutely no idea what the motive was." Later in the morning, the department confirmed police found a note on McRae and its contents are part of the ongoing investigation.

A police department in Ewing, New Jersey, said at least part of the note referenced a local school. There is no active threat in the area, according to a statement. McRae had ties to Ewing and a "history of mental health issues," according to the statement posted to the department's Facebook page. The statement did not elaborate on the alleged issues.

McRae pleaded guilty in 2019 to a weapons-related charge in Lansing, according to Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane, along with records from Ingham County Circuit Court and Michigan Department of Corrections records.

Chris Gautz, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, provided details about the event that led to this previous arrest.

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“On June 7, 2019, an officer spotted an individual near an abandoned building on East Street in Lansing around 1:30 a.m. The officer questioned McRae, who said he had just left a store,” Gautz said.

“When asked, he admitted he had a gun on him and did not have a concealed weapons permit. He claimed he left home to walk to a store (to) buy cigarettes and feared for his safety so he took his gun.”

Court records indicate a Lansing police officer approached McRae, asked whether he worked at a nearby building and then asked whether McRae was armed. McRae said he was, and the officer detained him.

The officer found a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol in McRae's pants pocket, according to court records. The officer also found a loaded magazine in McRae's breast pocket, records state.

His defense attorney argued the police officer's search was unconstitutional and the discovery of the gun should be suppressed at a trial. Prosecutors disagreed. It's unclear whether a court ruled on the issue; it appears McRae may have pleaded guilty before the court could make a decision.

McRae's defense attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

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He was charged with a violation of concealed carry law and possessing a loaded weapon in a vehicle. He pleaded guilty to the weapon-in-a-vehicle charge, while prosecutors dropped the second count, according to court records.

In a statement, Dewane noted he was originally charged with a felony and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

"Mr. McRae would have been barred from legally purchasing, owning, or possessing a firearm if he would have been convicted of the (concealed weapons) charge," Dewane told the Free Press.

"The misdemeanor conviction did not prevent him from purchasing, owning, or possessing a firearm after he successfully completed his terms of probation."

Dewane was appointed Ingham County prosecutor in late 2022, working as a deputy chief assistant prosecutor at the time of McRae's 2019 arrest.

Court records indicate McRae could not legally own or possess a weapon during the time he was on probation. Gautz said McRae never served time in prison for the offense; he was placed on probation in late 2019 and “successfully discharged” on May 14, 2021.

"Any offender who is convicted and facing sentencing in Michigan is provided a Sentence Guideline (SGL) score during their pre-sentence investigation. The SGL score provides the court with guidance for a sentence recommendation.  It is a routine matter in nearly all criminal cases that the recommended sentence is not the same as the legal maximum," Dewane said in a statement.

"Even if he were convicted by a jury of the original charge, Anthony McRae would not have been recommended for a jail or prison sentence. The sentencing guideline score would have been the same if he had been convicted of either the original charge (Carrying a Concealed Weapon) or the offense for which he was convicted (carrying a firearm in a vehicle)."

Neighbors who lived near McRae's Lansing residence told the Free Press on Tuesday that they thought police were called to the area a couple years ago in response to McRae firing a weapon outside of his home.

Lansing Police spokesperson Jordan Gulkis declined to provide any information on McRae, saying, “his history is part of the investigation so we cannot comment at this time.”

Free Press staff writers David Jesse, Paul Egan and Christine MacDonald contributed to this report.

Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU shooting suspect Anthony McRae had gun-related charge in 2019